Hi Lori,
Are you hiking as part of a group, or are you going by yourself?

Well, my "home" park is Shenandoah NP (Skyline Drive.) It is 4.5 hours drive from my house and I go there two or three times a year for two or three night at a time. I just got back from a short three-night stay in Big Meadows campground. Big Meadows is just what the name says... a huge me...

Isle Royale has one of the highest return vistor rates and longest stay of the NPS which says a lot about IR. It says: 1. They get very little new business. 2. You can't just drive through. It's so hard to get to, once you're there you might as well stay and look around. Actually, I think it says y...

So much of the Isle Royale experience involves tradition. The chili on the Ranger is part of that tradition, so I guess it depends on how important it is to you to sample the traditions of the island. Is it expensive? No food on (or on the way to) Isle Royale is cheap, with the exception of the ice ...

Yeah, you know, I don't really have a reputation as a klutz, but I sure have taken some tumbles on IR. I think maybe it's because I'm so busy looking around to see moose that I forget to look down at my feet once in a while. :oops: But actually, the real reason I fell this year was that I came to th...

When I had two lenses, I always hiked with the zoom lens on since I would want to get as close to wildlife as possible and there wouldn't usually be time to fuss with changing the lens. Scenery views aren't going anywhere, so yeah, I would switch to capture the sunset or sweeping view from the top o...

Yep, it's not far. I only had one occasion to visit Delaware in the 18 years I've lived here, but for people in the southern end of Lancaster County, it's not far at all. I once went to see Johnny Cash do a concert at a university in Delaware... University of Delaware, I guess??? Anyway it was years...

I was surprised by this as well, and I agree with you that it's not the best for visitor relations. New rangers can be very enthusiastic and sometimes that helps inject a new sense of wonder into their presentations, which is good for visitor enthusiasm; but there needs to be that voice of experienc...

I am a day hiker myself, so I have never hiked to Lane Cove. I really love the Greenstone from Lookout Louise to Mt. Franklin, though, and I think that part of the hike should be very pleasant for you. Everybody always says there is a good chance of seeing a moose at Hidden Lake, where the water tax...

I've never been back to it after we worked on it, so I'm glad to know people still care for it. I hope to get back there someday. It was a really great project to be involved in because the "before" and "after" made it so easy to feel like you made a difference. Other work projec...

How are you getting to Lookout Louise for your starting point?

Not to take anything away from the Boaters, but they had nothing to do with restoring the "schoolhouse" at Chippewa Harbor. (Unless they made a financial contribution that I'm not aware of.) The actual restoration work was a project of IRNHA. I was privileged to participate in that work tr...

No chipmunks? I could swear we've seen chipmunks... I know, isn't it funny how you transpose the animals that should be there... I once told someone in front of a ranger that there were chipmunks and he gave me a quizzical look. "Um, no, actually, there aren't..." Then I realized how the ...

I only hike, not backpack, but yes, the hydration packs are great because I don't have to stop to drink. The spigot is right there clipped onto my backpack shoulder strap, always accessible. I have this magnetic doohickey that keeps the spigot secure and keeps it from flopping in the dirt when I do ...

I remember the CB radio fad. I think I was in high school. I never got on the air but my dad had one for a while. One of his friends gave him "Billiard Ball" for a handle (he was bald.) As for my online name, it came from two seemingly unrelated facts. The first is that I used to be a big ...